Man-lift elevator.



C. E. BIRD.

MAN LIFT ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION TILED MAY s, 1013.

1,079,1 59. Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

a. 4 6 lazgil izli a COLUMBIA PLANOGIIAPII 60.. WASHINGTON. I)v c.

UNTTED ETATEd PATENT @FFTCE.

CHARLES E. BIRD, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

MAN-LIFT ELEVATOR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. Brno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Man- Lift Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to manually operated elevators and is particularly directed to the improvement of that type thereof, generally known as man lifts. These socalled man lifts are found very serviceable in grain elevators, in mills and various other places, for lifting or lowering, usually one person at a time; and, as generally constructed, the car or moving platform has a counter-weight that will approximately counter-poise the car and a person standing thereon. Inasmuch as the weight of different persons varies, it has hitherto been a common practice to provide supplemental counter-weights adapted to be applied or removed, at will. Frequently, however, these man lifts are employed in places where most of the up and down travel will be performed by one person, in which case, the supplemental counter-weights need not be employed.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is .a view in front elevation, showing the man lift, some parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the car and certain devices applied thereto; Fig. 1 is a horizontal section taken on the line 50* m on Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line m on Fig. 1.

The numeral 1 indicates the floor structure of a lower story and the numeral 2 indicates the ceiling or overhead structure of a top story, or top of a building.

The numeral 3 indicates a lever in the form of a heavy beam which is pivoted at 4; to a suitable bearing 5 on the overhead structure 2. This lever 3, as shown, is cut out at its free portion and a large sheave or cable Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1913.

Patented Nov. 1.8, 1913.

Serial No. 765,219.

wheel 6 is set into the same and pivoted thereto at 7.

The car, which is indicated as an entirety by the numeral 8, is guided by the parallel vertically extended portions of a guide cable 9, the lower ends of which are anchored to the floor 1, and the upper portion of which is passed over a pair of alined guide sheaves 10 journaled to hangers 11 rigidly secured at their upper ends to the overhead structure 2. At its free end, the lever 3 is provided with a bearing foot or lug 12 that rests on the transverse intermediate portion of the car guiding cable 9 and engages the same between the sheaves 10, thereby nor mally depressing that portion of said cable to take up the slack to keep the vertical portions of said cable perfectly straight.

The car 8 is suspended from one end of a cable 13, which cable is passed over the wheel 6 and is provided at its other depending end with a weight 1 1. This weight 14:, as already indicated, will usually be heavy enough to overweight the car 8 and approximately counterbalance the weight of the car and person standing on the car.

The cable 13 is attached to the short arm 15 of a rock shaft 16 that is journaled in suitable hearings on the sides of the car 8, and is provided at its endswith short arms 18 having eyes or perforations through which the vertical portions of the guide cable 9 are passed. The arm 15 projects at one side and the arms 18 at the opposite sides of the rock shaft 16, and normally, the weight of the car pulling in one direction and the weight 14: pulling in the other direction, holds the arms 18 against steps 19 on the car 8 (see Fig. 5) and holds the said arms 18 at a right angle to the cooperating cables 9 so that the said arms move freely on the said cables, and then serve simply as guides causing the car to follow the said cables. The rock shaft 16 is provided with another arm 17 which projects in a direction opposite from the short arm 15, and this arm 17 is connected by a coiled spring 20 to the top cross portion of the said car. This spring 20 exerts a force which, if the cable 13 should break, would cause the arms 18 to move upward and their eyes to take a kinking bite or grip on the cable 9. Once the arms 18 are caused to take a bite on the cables 9, the weight of the car wouldbe rendered effective to increase this bite-so that the said levers then actas safety clutches to grip the verticalportions ofthe cable 9 and to prevent further descent of the car. The lower portion or platform end. of" the car 8 is, as shown, provided at its side with vertically perforated guide lugs 21 that move freely on the verticalportions of the cable 9. I

In providinga suitablebrakedevice, a

metal rock shaft 22 beneath the floor of'tlie car 8 is provided with an upwardly extended'footpieceor lever 23. Loosely engaging the vertical portions of the cable?),

between theupper andlower guide lugs 21 are spring set brake shoes 24 connected by links. 25' to short arms 26 on theends of the" rock shaft 22. The brakes are adapted to beireleasedby steppingon the foot pi'ece 23 andthereby disengaging the brake shoes 24 from the vertical portions of the cable 9.

This form of'brake is in commonuse and well understood. An operating cable 27'is passed vertically through the platform" of the car 8, and at its upper endis anchored to the overhead work 2, and at.its lower end is anchored to the floor structure 1.

With the construction aboved'escribed, it is evident that the weight of'the load of the car and the weight 14, acting through the lever?) andcable wheel 6, automatically take up the slackof the guide cable 9 andpreventany stretching. thereof, so that readjustments of the guide cable from time to time As already indicated,

is not required.

' breaking of the supporting cable 13' will cause the automatic brake device, to-wit, the rock shaft 16 and arms 18, to lock thecarto thevertical portions oftheguide cable and thus prevent; accident; Here, itis important to note that when a carv descending, is locked to the verticalportions of the guide cable 9,

asabove stated, the sudden strainupon the said cables will find considerable relief f'rom the initial impact, by a starting of the trans: verse upper portion thereof; cable 13 is broken, only the weight of the lever 3 and wheel6 will be effective on the transverse upper portion of the cable 9'.

The lever 3 and wheel .6 will yieldland move slightly upward and thereby'afford a cushion, relieving the guide cable 9 from strains,

whenever the car is descending and thebrake shoes 24 are suddenly thrown into action with considerable force. 7 or manually operate'd'elevators ofthis character, it'is well known that the car with a person therein may bevery easily andquite rapidly moved either upward'or downward by the operator on the car pull ngupward. or downward on the anchored operating cable 27.

When the,

In man lifts What I claim is z '1. Thecombination with overhead cable guides, of aguide cable extended across said cable guldes and having VGI'lDICZll. portions anchored at their lower ends, of a car .guided by the vertical portions of said cable, a counter-weighted car supporting cable, and-a bearing for said supportmg cable exertlng'a downward pressure on the transverse upper portion of said guide cable. 7

2: The combination with overhead cable guides, ofa-guide cableextended across said cable guides and having vertical portions anchored at their lower ends, of a'car guid-- ed by the vertical portions of sa-id cable, a" counter-weighted car supporting; cable, a

hearing for'said' supporting cable exerting adownward pressure on" the "transverse upper portion of said guide cable, and safety clutches normally held inactive by the" weight of'the car and'it's counter-weight, but

operative, when released by breaking-of the car supportingcable, toanchor said car to said guide cable.

3. The combination with overhead cable- 'uides of'a uide cable extended acrosssaid cable guides and having vertical portions.

anchored attheir lower ends, of a lever piv and supporting saidcar.

4. The. combination with overhead cable 1 guides, of a guide cable extended across said cable guldes and havmg VGltICEI-l' POItJOITIS" anchored at 1111611" lower ends, ofa lever :p'ive oted .to an overhead support and havingj a bearing on the-transverse upper" portion of said guide cable,,for automatically taking up the slack thereof, a cable wheel jour naled to saidlever, a car guided'by theverticallportions of" saidcable guide, a counter-' weighted cable passed over said cable wheel and supportingsaid 'car,.a rock shafthaving; cablev engaging; safety clutches, the said cable being eccentrically'attachedjto' said". rock shaft and normally exerting a force holding the clutchesthereofffor free 'move- 'ments on said guide cable, and means operativewhen the said'co'unter-weighted' cable is broken, to cause the safety clutches of said rock shaft to the vertical portions of said guide cable;

5. The combination. with vertical guide cables and a'car mounted for vertical movements thereon, of'a rock shaft mounted' on said car and'having' perforated offsetarms:

- ati s endsserving'as'safetyclutches' to en= free for sliding movements on said guide 10 cables.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES E. BIRD.

gage said guide cables, said rock shaft having at its intermediate portion oppositely projecting arms, a spring attached to one of said arms and to said car and tending to cause the clutches of said rock shaft to grip said guide cables, and a counter-Weighted cable attached to the other of said arms and acting in opposition to said spring to normally hold the clutches of said rock shaft Witnesses:

HARRY D. Kincolm, F. D. MERCHANT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

